Alesander Darklyn
Alesander I Darklyn is the fourteenth king of the Dusklands and the eldest son of King Robin III Darklyn. Alesander has ruled from his father's death in 294 AA to the present day. Biography Prince Alesander Darklyn was born to King Robin III Darklyn and Queen Aelinor Qoherys in 270 AA, as their eldest son and heir. Robin was more interested in ruling the kingdom than he was in raising his son, and so the upbringing of the young prince was left to his mother and his uncle, Ser Harlan Dusk. Harlan insisted on training his nephew in the art of combat, but initially, Alesander was interested in following in his father’s footsteps. Whilst the crown prince would follow Ser Harlan to the training yard, he would, without fail, be accompanied by some book or another. Along with this, Alesander befriended the young Lucifer Staunton, a boy who enjoyed similar things. Even when the prince’s love of books and scholarly pursuits ended, Lucifer would act as a foil for the boy, up until the Staunton left for the Citadel. This habit continued well into Alesander’s pageship with his uncle, and would even last into squireship. Harlan would eventually be assigned to the command of Duskendale’s city watch, and the crown prince would follow him into service there. It would be during this tenure, during Alesander’s tenth year, that the boy would discover the wonders of swordsmanship. He soon learned that he had a natural inclination to throw himself gladly and ferociously into a fight and his Berserker nature while fighting was clear to all. Also that year, Harlan led a unit of men into a small den, where a gang illegally trading far Eastern spices was based. Harlan, as his half-brother was not a man for swords, wielded the ancestral blade of House Darklyn, Sunset, and so was at an advantage in comparison to the bandits. However, Alesander is often said to remark that Harlan Dusk could have had a blunt stick that day, and still have slain the entire group by himself. From that day onwards, the young man pushed himself to his limit, to try and outdo his uncle. Alesander put down the books, and picked up the sword, often passing out in the sparring yard from his intense training. When he was not training, or recovering from it, the heir to the Dusklands spent his time on patrol with Harlan, prowling the city streets for trouble. While he trained religiously in the art of fighting and using a sword he still developed a liking and interest in Engineering, spending much time reading up on the art and making models of bridges, siege equipment, ships and other construction projects to supplement his readings and give practical knowledge on the subject. On Alesander’s thirteenth nameday, he awoke to his uncle having been sent to the Antlers, on the request of Robin, to defend from any potential Clawman attacks. Whilst suspicious, since the Dusk King was vehemently against the idea of war, preferring to negotiate peace, Alesander did not confront his father, for fear of whatever consequences Robin could create. And so, he did the next best thing. In the early morning, before sunrise the next day, the crown prince made his way to the castle stables. When his polite requests for a horse were denied, the early teenager grabbed the stable-boy by the scruff of his neck, and held him up against the wall. It took little time for Alesander to be halfway out of Duskendale, with only a pack of clothes and a sword at his hip. He would be at the Antlers by the end of the week. During the prince’s absence, Robin began to grow close to his second son, Ronnet, a boy who took more after his father than Alesander did. Thinking his son gone for good, Robin began to groom Ronnet as his next heir. Meanwhile, Alesander was told the truth about Harlan’s assignment to the Antlers, and learnt what a snake his father was. However, when Alesander made his intention to return to Duskendale clear, he was stopped by Harlan, who reminded him that Robin was still family. So, the two trained further. In 288 AA, on Alesander’s eighteenth nameday, Harlan tapped Sunset on his nephew’s shoulders, and Alesander Darklyn rose as a knight of the Dusklands. Feeling that the crown prince was finally ready, Harlan allowed him to return to Duskendale, Sunset in hand. Arriving at the city, the heir to the Dusklands confronted his father. Robin explained why he had sent Harlan to the Antlers, and expressed his delight at Alesander’s return. Whilst not content with the explanation his father gave, the crown prince accepted it, and made peace with the Dusk King. It would not last. Three years later, Duskendale would receive a missive from Andar II Arryn, asking King Robin to meet with him and Corlys III Celtigar, to defeat the Gardeners. Robin was dismissive of the idea, but Alesander managed to convince him to levy an army, and let him meet with the King of Mountain and Vale. Alesander found himself a kindred spirit in King Corlys III, and agreed wholeheartedly with Andar Arryn’s plan. It would not be long until the Dusklander army and the Clawman army marched to Bitterbridge. As soon as the two armies arrived, they set out to put the castle under siege. As Bitterbridge was a smaller holdfast, the siege was relaxed, expecting little resistance from House Caswell. However, their luck was not so great. King Gwayne had dispatched his brother to the castle, with an army at his back, and the combined Darklyn and Celtigar army was forced to return to Duskendale. During the battle with Gareth Gardener, the heir to the Dusklands entered a duel with the Reachman. The two were relatively equally matched, and so the duel ended inconclusively, with Gareth only able to lay a single cut upon his opponent’s face. Their army in tatters, Corlys and Alesander retreated from the field, the taste of defeat bitter in their mouths. That would not be the end of it. At Duskendale, they were met by news of a Stormlander expeditionary force, coming to relieve the two Blackwater kingdoms of conflict, and fight back against the Gardeners. However, Durrandon had tricked them. Whilst Alesander and Corlys were planning a resistance, a rider from Duskendale crossed the river, and made peace on behalf of the Dusklands. Outraged, Alesander grabbed the rider as he returned, and asked him what he thought he was doing. When he was told that King Robin had sent the rider, and sued for peace, agreeing to become a tributary, Alesander returned to Corlys. Although he could not order the Dusklander army to fight, he would stand by the king of the Claw. Whilst the Darklyn forces returned home, Alesander assisted the Celtigars, standing by Corlys III as the man was slain. Beaten, defeated, and forced to ride back to Duskendale alone, Alesander was berated heavily by his father, who called the Claw King a fool, and his son a traitor. In a fit of anger, the crown prince pulled Sunset half from his sheath, declaring his father the true traitor to the realm, before Robin explained himself. Whilst Alesander was still ashamed of his father’s cowardice, he found reason in the Dusk King’s want to save lives. Over time, the relationship between Robin and his son would begin to repair, and in 294 AA, the two would fully reconcile, before Robin’s death. The newly crowned Alesander I would waste no time on assembling a council that fit him. Trained in both the ways of the Citadel and the Lofty Sept, Lucifer Staunton was his choice for Lord Chancellor, and Ser Benedict Rykker was a man he could trust as Master-at-Arms. Along with constructing a new council, the Dusk King would be responsible for continuing the peace with the Stormlands. Still weakened, Alesander knew that the Dusklands was not up to standing against the Durrandons, and so was forced to agree to a term that tore him to shreds. He was reluctant to send his sister, Jocelyn, to marry Erich Durrandon, brother to the Storm King. It took three nights of constant argument, but Jocelyn was able to convince her brother that it was the best option for the Dusklands. And so, Princess Jocelyn was sent along with a small escort to Storm’s End. Along with this, Alesander was able to secure a betrothal for his brother, Ronnet, to the young daughter of Maric II Dayne, Allyria. Whilst pleased with the betrothal, Ronnet questioned his brother as to why he remained unmarried. Alesander’s answer was simply, “No-one quite takes my fancy.” Since the betrothal, little has occurred in the Dusklands. Alesander refused to send men to assist in the Storm War without an explicit request from the Storm King, much to the approval of his council. Now, the Dusk King and his council make their way to Harrenhal, save for the Lord Spymaster, the Lord Admiral, and the Dusky Septon, who has been left to rule the kingdom in Alesander and Lucifer’s absence. Although not planning to stake his own claim on the Trident, Alesander intends on taking stock of the claimants. Timeline * 270 AA - Alesander Darklyn is born to King Robin III Darklyn and Queen Aelinor Qoherys. * 273 AA - His brother, Ronnet Darklyn is born. * 275 AA - Robin III’s final child, Jocelyn Darklyn, is born. * 277 AA - Alesander befriends Lucifer Staunton, who would later become his Lord Chancellor. * 280 AA - Harlan Dusk takes on Alesander as a squire, and defeats a den of bandits alone. * 283 AA - Alesander flees to the Antlers, where Ser Harlan Dusk was sent by the Dusk King. * 288 AA - Harlan knights the heir to the Dusklands, and grants him Sunset. Alesander reconciles with his father for the first time. * 291 AA - Alesander meets with Corlys III Celtigar and Andar II Arryn to discuss pushing back the forces of House Gardener. Along with Celtigar, he marches to Bitterbridge. * 292 AA - At Bitterbridge, the two kings are defeated by an unexpected Reachman force, and Alesander is scarred by Gareth Gardener. Upon returning to the Dusklands, the Stormlands invade, and King Robin surrenders. Alesander fights alongside Corlys III and his son against the Durrandon force. * 294 AA - Robin and Alesander reconcile once more, as the Dusk King passes from the world. Alesander is crowned. * 298 AA - Alesander and his council attend the Great Council at Harrenhal. Alesander heads back to Duskendale and the war in the Trident begins…… Family Tree Supporting Characters Ser Harlan Dusk - Uncle and Sworn Sword - Archetype: General Ser Brynden Farring - Sword Sword - Archetype: Warrior (Swords) Ser Lancel Gaunt - Sworn Sword - Archetype: Bastion Robyn Qoherys - Lord Admiral - Archetype: Ship Captain Ardrian Byrch - Lord Spymaster - Archetype: Executioner Maester Andrey - Maester - Archetype: MaesterCategory:House Darklyn Category:Dusklander Category:King